The one-month trial will cost 1bn won (Â£554,000) and is being sponsored by the South Korean government. It is the latest in a series of investments made by the state to develop its robotics industry.

The country’s Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in January that it had spent the equivalent of Â£415m on research in the sector between 2002 and 2010. It said the aim was to compete with other countries, such as Japan, which are also exploring the industry’s potential.

In October the ministry said the Korean robot market had recorded 75% growth over the past two years and was now worth about Â£1 billion…

The potential market for robotics is huge. Smart countries are investing in becoming the centers for excellence in that area. Japan and South Korea may well be in the lead. The USA, Germany and China also have strong communities.

Wow that looks really cool. Can’t wait for the robots to become smarter and more useful(but hopefully not better than humans). I can’t see from the info though what the robot guard is supposed to do…. just patrolling?

Anonymous December 12th, 2011 @ 2:14 pm

There they go again… Making robots in man’s own image. Silly engineers.